Lullaby
by MeryKey-7
Summary: A lullaby makes Max wonder if she is ready for motherhood. Warning: fluffiness! MA


**Name**: Lullaby  
**Author**: MeryK  
**Beta**: Aileen  
**Raiting**: PG13 (pretty much, I think)  
**Genre**: Comedy/Romance  
**Summary**: A lullaby makes Max wonder if she is ready for motherhood. Warning: fluffiness!! M/A  
**Author's Note**: This is a story that popped into my head while listening to "Lullaby" by Dixie Chicks. I want to thank Aileen, who did an amazing job; you're the best beta ever!!! Hope you enjoy it! Oh!! And If you guys are interested on taking a look at the cover or this story, please, check my LJ (you'll find it on my profile). The story is posted there as well.

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Max tossed and turned on the bed, driving a very much worn out Alec crazy. He turned around, not bothering to turn his bedside light on, and spoke with a drowsy voice: "Max, babe, if you don't stop moving around I'm gonna have to tie you to the bed, and we both know how that'll end," he said, with a wicked, yet tired, smirk on his face remembering the time he had suggested they needed some experimenting in their relationship, and, amazingly enough, she had agreed. "You might not need to sleep, but I have to, at least a few hours every 24hs. So, as I haven't slept in over two days, you'll have to wait until I've had my beauty sleep to have kinky sex with this handsome fella." 

Max sighed in frustration, lay still on her back, satisfying an exhausted Alec, and crossed her arms over her chest. Her partner turned around again, placed his head gently on the soft pillow and prepared himself for a much anticipated five hour sleep. Alec didn't seem to noticed Max's frustration, or wouldn't. He was too damn tired; he would deal with her mood swings in the morning.

"You know?" _Or not._ "I find incredible the lack of interest from you on **this** little particular problem," she snarled, pointing at her swollen belly. "Specially, since it's all **your** fault!"

He kissed his much needed rest goodbye.

Max left the bed before Alec could turn around again and start the fight that he forecasted, for the sooner it began, the sooner he could sleep.

He saw her leave the room in her black male boxers, which used to belong to him until she proclaimed them as hers, and a sports bra. They were in the middle of the summer, the weather was hot as hell, and her hormones and the typical symptoms of the second trimester were not helping at all. He sighed and threw the sheets off his body.

He found her in the kitchen, getting a glass of milk. Alec walked to her in silence, and stopped right next to her, leaning his hip against the kitchen table of their small Terminal City apartment. He didn't speak. He was hoping she would start the quarrel, and then carry on to the explanation for her outburst, which would be followed by many kisses, which were bound to arouse Alec to the point of trailing small, butterfly kisses along her graceful, long neck until **she** was aroused and then it was definitely a "So long, farewell" to a night of sleep.

But apparently, as mad as Max was for whatever reason, she wasn't on a sharing mood, her morose expression enough proof of this.

"What's up, Maxie?" he asked gently, yet not closing the small space between them, knowing Max would chuck his hand, arm and whatever was attached to his torso away. He definitely knew her more than he ever thought.

She didn't speak immediately, taking a long swig of her big milk glass. She knew she was overreacting, but she couldn't help it, and it was entirely his fault. Him and his stupid charm, and his stupid soft hands, and his stupid plump lips she desired more and more every day, and his eyes, so truthful only around her, and— _Ok, enough. Maybe you should just apologize with him… it's stupid, anyway_. But then, once she placed her glass on the table, she looked at his face, and that unnerving nonchalant expression was still there. Her anger rising yet again.

He witnessed the facial expression change on his lover/partner in crime/something resembling his girlfriend. She went from angry and annoyed, to soft and guilty, to a new definition of enraged.

"I hate how calm you are about all this!" she said. And the battle had begun. "You're there, asking me what's wrong with me, not a clue what's going on, while I'm choking in fear. And I hate it!! I hate that I'm the only one who feels like this!" Max couldn't believe she was actually venting her fears in front of Alec. She turned around, embarrassed, and left the kitchen, moving towards the bathroom.

Alec was right behind her; he knew she was going to lock herself in the bathroom, and they were going to end up fighting with a wooden door between them, making them wait until the morning to solve whatever the problem was. Since she had gotten pregnant, her hormones started triggering this abnormal behavior on Max, for as pissed at him as she would be during one of their fights, and as much as she needed her Space Needle to clear her mind, she had never taken off during an argument. So he rushed in front of her, blocking the entrance to their bathroom.

"Max, hold on. What are you talking about?" he enquired, not understanding what she was so scared of. The cult had been exposed to the public. Terminal City had been allowed to act as a free City within Seattle. The people and the media had almost forgotten about the Transgenic problem, and were accepting them as equals (well, pretty much, at least). Problems were abundant, as they usually were in any other city, which kept Max and Alec pretty busy; but they hadn't been in any real danger for a long time. So he couldn't understand what was that she was so afraid of that involved their unborn child.

"Nothing. Just forget it," she replied, trying to get past him, but not able to do so, as Alec gently held her by the upper arm.

"Come on, Maxie," he whispered to her, his eyes telling her he was beginning to worry.

She sighed. She trusted Alec. She had always trusted him. First with her back, then with her life, and now with her heart. They'd been completely open with each other since the day they got together; Max released a small smile as the memory of Alec asking her out on a real date many, many months after she had broken up things with Logan for the last and final time came to her mind. The virus had been beaten, and she had moved in with Logan, but as much as she tried to make things work, there was something missing, she just didn't know what. Five months after she had moved in with the man she thought she loved, Max came back to Terminal City. Eight months had passed before Alec summoned the courage and the balls to ask Max if she wanted to go out with him, to a concert in LA. She had been surprised and she remembered blushing like a silly little girl, at the thought of Alec asking her, Max, his friend and foe, to a concert; on a typical, all American boy-girl date. It only took her five seconds to process what was going on and give the blonde X5 an answer; God bless her genetically engineered fast data processing brain. She said yes, full of conviction and excitement.

Now, two years and four months later, she was in love with her friend and pain in the ass, and she was carrying his child. At first it had seemed simple. It was just a baby; nine months of pain, she could handle that. But then, it dawned to her: her body would stretch to an unbelievable size, leaving marks on her stomach; her limbs would swell; she would be peeing all the freaking time; she would crave for weird foods (which, actually wasn't all that bad); and then, after the painful labor, there was going to be a baby. A **real** baby. A baby that would need to be fed and cleaned and taken care of. Never in her life had she been able to take care of any living creature that would depend on her, how was she supposed to raise a child?!

"I don't even know one lousy lullaby," she said, still on her reverie, not really understanding Alec was not reading her mind.

"What?"

"I'm gonna be a terrible mother. I don't know the first thing about babies and I can't talk with kids. You've seen how I get around kids. Around the X6s. I've always passed the opportunity to take care of any of our friend's kids. Gem asked me once if I wanted to look after Ava, and I said no. I didn't want to be around the baby by myself in case I broke it or something," she babbled.

"Wow, wow. Hold on, Max. Wait, that was like four and a half years ago." He placed a hand on her chin and brought her big, brown eyes to his. "You're gonna be an amazing mom, babe. Besides, you've taken care of Ava many times, d'you remember that? Just because you said no once doesn't mean you're not capable of taking care of a kid," he explained softly.

"That's different. I mean, looking after someone else's kid for a couple of hours is a completely different story from having your own! Alec, I don't know anything about babies. I don't know what they're supposed to eat or not. I won't know why they cry! Babies cry all the time for many reasons and a mother is supposed to recognize the meaning of the crying! What if the baby's crying 'cause he or she's hungry and I just change his diapers??? I'm gonna starve the little guy to death! I was at Gem's today, and she was singing this song to baby Jimmy, and I thought: what kind of song was she singing to him, but then I realized it was some sort of lullaby, and I didn't recognize it, because I don't know any! What if our baby's tired but he can't go to sleep because I don't know a freaking lullaby??! What kind of mother doesn't know a lullaby?? Let me tell you what kind: the one made in a damn lab! Whoever thought we would make good parents, huh?? We can't have this baby, Alec!"

"Ok, ok. Stop. Just breathe for a second. We—" he began, but stopped. He never thought Max would be the one freaking out; he always figured he would be the one, or at least the first one to give in. He saw how frustrated she looked, and how scared she was. Max was not the type of girl who got scared easily. He led her to their sofa, and sat next to her. "Ok, first of all: who says I'm not freaking out?? I didn't say anything because I thought it might be contagious, or worse, you would kick the crap out of me." He paused a moment, as he took a look at his lover's eyes, big and troubled. Her hair was a brown tangled mane, a mane she could rarely tame. That's why she usually kept it short and curly. Curls hid undomesticated manes the best.

"I was freaking out," he carried on. "I was thinking all those things you just said and more. I mean: me?? A father?? I'm not exactly the best role model for a kid."

Max stared at him, expectation in her eyes.

"I spoke with Biggs the other day," he explained, feeling a bit embarrassed, to be quite honest. It wasn't easy for Alec to admit such a thing. Actually, when he first explained his conundrum to his friend, he laughed and made fun of him, saying that big, bad ass Alec was afraid of one teeny-tiny baby. The jackass. "And, well, after a long and painful mocking session from Biggs' side, he told me it's normal. He said he felt the same way, that Gem felt the same way, even while she was pregnant with little Jimmy. So, what he told me made me think. First, Biggs is an ass. Second, if **he** managed not to get the little fella dead, then we're ok. And finally, we've created a city here, Max. It has its problems, and it might not be perfect or beautiful, but **we** made it. And I'm not just talking about you, or me, I'm talking about everyone in here. We're not alone. We've got Josh, Gem, Biggs, Krit. We even have Cindy. So…" he carried on, as he caressed the side of her face, "you shouldn't worry so much. We're covered." He finished by placing a gentle kiss on her nose, and another one on her full lips. Max framed his face with her hands and kissed him lovingly.

He was right. They weren't alone. There were a lot of people who owed them favors, she thought with a playful smile; she was spending way too much time with this handsome X5 for she was starting to sound like him.

"God, I love you," she breathed when the kiss was over. He always knew what to say to her: if she was sad, he would always put a smile on her face; if she was pissed off, he would always calm her down; if she was wrong, he would always tell her so. He never tiptoed around her, something she had found completely fascinating since the first day they met. Men were usually intimidated by her incredible confidence, her looks, and bitchy attitude. But not Alec. He never was.

"Well, that's always good to hear," he replied as he kissed her back, passionately, knowing it was time for some make-up sex, and, despite his lethargic state, he just couldn't wait. But there was something else on his mind.

"And you know what? You do know a lullaby."

She frowned at him in confusion. "I don't think so. I would remember."

"Wait up," he said, as he stood up and went back to their room. He came back a few moments later holding one of her old CDs. He gave it to her, and Max eyed the CD, completely baffled by this. What did the Dixie Chicks have to do with her lack of knowledge regarding lullabies? She wouldn't know. He didn't say anything, hoping that she would realize, but as her eyes traveled from the CD in her hands to him, a questioning eyebrow arched above her right eye, he took the CD from her small hands and introduced it into their battered stereo. He forwarded to track 6, and a quiet, simple guitar melody was heard moments later.

_They didn't have you where I come from  
__Never knew the best was yet to come  
__Life began when I saw your face  
__And I hear your laugh like a serenade_

A wide smile adorned her face, remembering the song, remembering the lyrics, and loving Alec even more for remembering it, especially when they were seconds away from having make-up sex.

_How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough, is forever enough  
__How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough  
__Cause I'm never, never giving you up _

Alec woke up from a sound sleep with the voice of his Max singing in the other room.

He propped his shoulder against his kid's bedroom door frame wearing only a black t-shirt and his black boxers, and just stared at the picture in front of him. Max was sitting on the rocking chair Krit had bought for them, with their two-month-old baby boy, Fergal. Yes, Max had insisted on the name. The little boy was also known as Fergus or Fergie. He would always hate Max for that, and he was pretty sure their son would too as he hit puberty. But for now, he loved them both.

_I slip in bed when you're asleep  
__To hold you close and feel your breath on me  
__Tomorrow there'll be so much to do  
__So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you_

He saw how Max caressed Fergal's face, as the little guy closed his eyes little by little.

_How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough, is forever enough  
__How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough  
__Cause I'm never, never giving you up_

He looked at the baby, remembering all the times, during these past two months, Ferg had woken up, crying and screaming bloody murder, and how he immediately calmed down as Alec picked him up, and rocked him in his arms. A few minutes later, he would become a small, drooling baby completely unconscious in his strong arms, with his little head resting on his father's shoulder.

_As you wander through this troubled world  
__In search of all things beautiful  
__You can close your eyes when you're miles away  
__And hear my voice like a serenade_

Alec always felt light headed at the thought of this little baby's unadulterated trust in him, and at how quickly he recognized him in between the tears and screams.

It was during moments like these that he wondered if he had ever really been a soldier, a killer, or if it all had just been a long, terrible nightmare. He sometimes liked to think it had just been a dream, so he would never have to talk about it with his son; but he knew none of it had been a nightmare, no matter how much he wished it was. And he also knew he was not that man anymore.

_How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough, is forever enough  
__How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough  
__Cause I'm never, never giving you up_

'I love you,' he whispered to the only two people who owned his heart.

Max knew he was standing there even before he spoke. This was something he usually did while she was trying to get Fergal to sleep. The little guy would start crying in the middle of the night, which wasn't a problem for Max, for she barely slept, but it was for Alec, to whom sleep was a serious matter. She always woke up first, so her man could sleep some, well, at least during the nights she **wasn't** sleeping, for if she was, then it was Alec's turn to make sure their baby had everything he might need to spend the night in a quiet and lasting sleep. But every time she got up to sing her son a lullaby, Alec woke up as well and just stared at them.

It was during moments like these that she knew she wasn't the same woman she had always been, and Alec wasn't the man he used to be. And it felt good. Because now they had a little life that depended on them and trusted them like no one ever did. And loved them, like no one ever loved them before.

They finally had a family. They were finally a family.

_How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough, is forever enough  
__How long do you want to be loved  
__Is forever enough  
__Cause I'm never, never giving you up  
__Is forever enough  
__Cause I'm never, never giving you up_

_**Fin.-**_

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Cookies to who ever finds out what the baby's name really means!!  
Please review:D


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